Zwitterionic materials with disorder and plasticity and their application as non-volatile solid or liquid...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Zwitterionic materials possess tunable properties and have potential in electrolyte applications.
• Current uses are limited to additives or polymer gels, not as primary electrolyte matrices.
• Non-volatile, charged, non-migrating zwitterions show promise for solid-state electrolytes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a new family of zwitterionic materials with molecular disorder and plasticity for solid-state conductive matrices.
• To characterize the thermal, morphological, and structural properties of these zwitterions.
• To investigate their performance as electrolyte matrices for lithium metal cells.

Main Methods:

• Differential scanning calorimetry
• Scanning electron microscopy
• Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
• X-ray crystallography
• Characterization of physical and transport properties in combination with lithium salts and polymers.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated zwitterions with molecular disorder and plasticity suitable for solid-state conductive matrices.
• Reported thermal, morphological, and structural properties of the novel zwitterionic materials.
• Achieved high ion transport and stable cycling in lithium metal cells using zwitterion-based electrolytes.

Conclusions:

• Disordered zwitterionic materials can serve as effective electrolyte matrices for high ion conduction.
• The tunable nature of these zwitterions allows for extensive modification of chemical and physical properties.
• These findings have significant implications for designing advanced, non-volatile electrolytes for energy storage applications.